Before It's Too Late
by museicality
Summary: Written for SMACKDOWN 2011, Team Underpants.  Prompt cycle of Dom and Evin centric drabbles inspired by the lyrics of "Hold On" by the Goo Goo Dolls.
1. Wander

Title: Wander

Rating: PG

Word Count: 113

Pairing: Team Underpants

Round/Fight: 1/A

Summary: "I wandered through fiction to look for the truth buried between all the lies" (Part of "Hold On" prompt cycle, song by the Goo Goo Dolls.)

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><p>Dear Dom,<p>

I feel like I've been tracing every road across Tortall since I saw you last; everything we've been doing has been just about useless.

No, of course we've been working; it's just more of the same. There are immortals everywhere, and where there's not there are still hysterical people claiming that something is plaguing them.

Wandering like this is maddening, especially when I know you're waiting, not even a day's hard ride from where I am…

Yes, we're that close. Now you have to deal with it too.

I hope this finds you safe [s]and not too frustrated with me[/s].

I'll be home as soon as I can manage it.

Evin


	2. At A Distance

Title: At A Distance

Rating: PG

Word Count: 264

Pairing: Team Underpants

Round/Fight: 1/A

Summary: "I stood at a distance to feel who you are" (Part of "Hold On" prompt cycle, song by the Goo Goo Dolls.)

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><p>They haven't quite reached home yet, but the Riders are inside the capital and the familiar hustle and bustle settles around Evin's shoulders like a familiar blanket.<p>

Market Square is alive and thrumming with life, and further up the road the taverns and inns are buzzing with customers.

Evin smiled at the familiar rhythm of the city; he'd almost forgotten it.

The familiar sight of the Palace and all of the Palace grounds opens up before him as the Seventeenth crests the last hill, and the sight causes Evin's breath to catch in his throat. He wasn't one for sentimentality, but this was different.

The figures, so tiny from this distance, scurried around, and as his group headed towards the practice courts, the tiny dots of blue and copper expanded into minute soldiers going about their business.

The rest of the Seventeenth streamed around Evin, whooping and kicking their ponies into a sprint as the joy at being home infected them all. Evin's eyes were fixed on one figure in particular, and he paused to watch.

Dom's actions were composed of the same disciplined, precise movements as always, the ones that Evin knew so well, and Evin lost himself in the sight of the person he had missed the most.

The stream of whooping Riders into the courts caused Dom's head to jerk up; he searched until he saw Evin, and even at this distance Evin could see the wide grin that broke across the other man's face.

He let out a war cry of his own and kicked his mount into a gallop.


	3. Too Late

Title: Too Late

Rating: PG

Word Count: 143

Pairing: Team Underpants

Round/Fight: 1/A

Summary: "Hold on, before it's too late" (Part of "Hold On" prompt cycle, song by the Goo Goo Dolls.)

He didn't pay any attention to any of the voices behind him; he let the shouting stream out in ribbons until he couldn't hear the words any longer.

He knew he was directly disobeying someone's orders, but he didn't care who they were or what they were saying.

Whatever happened to him would be worth it, he thought as he kicked his mount into a higher gear and sprinted through the city gates.

His horse's hooves and his heartbeat were indistinguishable from each other, and on every breath rode another prayer to another God that he would make it, that he hadn't yet run out of time.

'Please, Mithros,' Dom implored the god again, 'don't let Evin be—don't let me be too late.'

He hoped that the prayers were enough, because they were all he had at his back, an invisible army.


	4. Leave this Behind

Title: Leave This Behind

Rating: PG

Word Count: 124

Pairing: Team Underpants

Round/Fight: 1/A

Summary: "We'll run til we leave this behind": (Part of "Hold On" prompt cycle, song by the Goo Goo Dolls.)

He wasn't certain which of them caught the other's hand; all he knew was that he and Dom were running together and neither one was leading any more.

Laughing, Evin pulled ahead of Dom, flat out sprinting before vaulting up onto Loverboy's bareback, settling into his pony's familiar stride as if they were the same creature.

Flying out across the field, Evin glanced back under his arm to see Dom stretch over his horse's neck, starting to catch up to the lead Evin had.

As Dom drew abreast of him, Evin threw back his head and tossed his hands up into the evening air, shrilling the K'miri war cry he'd picked up from Buri.

Dom's laughter mixed with his as Corus dwindled behind them.


	5. Be Who You Are

Title: Be Who You Are

Rating: PG

Word Count: 166

Pairing: Team Underpants

Round/Fight: 1/A

Summary: "Don't fall, just be who you are" (Part of "Hold On" prompt cycle, song by the Goo Goo Dolls.)

"You always spend far too much time preening, Evin," Dom chuckled as he watched Evin study his reflection in the mirror.

"I do not," Evin replied distractedly, plucking at his uniform.

Dom snorted. "You've been standing there for the last ten minutes, Larse, what else would you call it?"

Evin turned. "I don't know if I can do this," he moaned plaintively, and Dom realized what this was all about.

"You'll be just fine; you're the same as you were yesterday," he stood to wrap his arms around Evin's waist.

"But… but…" Evin pointed at his uniform, where a new, shiny gold circle edged the Rider Emblem.

Dom gave Evin a little squeeze. "You're the same Evin Larse as ever; the circle is just a circle. Yesterday Buri thought you could handle this and you can, even if today you have some new insignia."

Evin sighed, and let Dom tug his tunic straight. "Now, Evin, you go out there and show them what you're made of."


	6. The One That Would Save

Title: The One That Would Save

Rating: PG

Word Count: 258

Pairing: Team Underpants

Round/Fight: 1/A

Summary: "The risk that might break you is the one that would save" (Part of "Hold On" prompt cycle, song by the Goo Goo Dolls.)

The scream, shrill and terrified, drew everyone's attention.

One of the villager's children stood at the edge of the raging river that had been flooding for days, screaming and pointing into the brown water.

For a split second, a light haired child was visible before the water sucked him under.

A flurry of action exploded across the muddy town; the mother screamed, the father holding her back, as the Own and the Riders ran for the edge.

Dom reached the edge first and wasted no time stopping; he dove into the water after the child.

At once the water grabbed him and shook him like a rag doll, but Dom pushed his terror away.

On the bank, Evin turned and barked out, "What are you waiting for? Someone grab some rope—we're going to have to pull them out!"

After what seemed like a small eternity, Dom resurfaced, dragging the small boy with him. The Riders and the Own rushed to fish them out, hauling Dom and the child up the muddy bank until the child's mother pulled the boy from Dom's arms.

Dom, muscles shaking, was glad to lay back and watch the sky while he listened to woman cry over her son.

"I wish you wouldn't take risks like that," Evin bent over Dom on the pretense of checking him for injury.

"It's worth it," Dom explained, sitting up in time to see the father embrace his small family again.

"So it is," Evin agreed, "…just make sure I never have to jump in after you."


End file.
